🔒CT microgrid developer names new CEO for expansion push

Rising electricity prices and mounting pressure on the nation’s power grid are reshaping how large energy users think about reliability and cost. Mariko McDonagh Meier sees those shifts as a growth opportunity. Meier recently took over as CEO of Greenwich-based Unison Energy, a developer of microgrids serving hospitals, industrial facilities and other large energy consumers. She steps into a leadership structure reshaped by co-founders Andy Cooper and Tim Lukes, who moved into the roles of executive chairman and president, respectively.

Meier’s focus is profitably scaling the company’s operations as demand grows for localized power systems, she said. “What that means for Unison is we have an opportunity now to build out our people, processes and systems to be able to increase the volume of projects we book and build each year,” she told the Hartford Business Journal. “I truly believe our project portfolio is well-positioned to grow significantly.” Unison Energy builds and operates localized energy systems that generate power directly at customer sites instead of relying solely on the traditional utility grid. The company arranges financing, manages engineering and construction, and oversees long-term operations under service agreements that typically span 15 to 20 years. Customers — including data centers, manufacturers, convention centers, hotels and hospitals — generally avoid large upfront capital expenditures and instead pay for the electricity and thermal energy the systems produce. Depending on site requirements, projects may incorporate natural gas-fired combined heat and power units, solar generation, battery storage and digital control systems. Such configurations are commonly used by organizations with significant energy demands or limited tolerance for outages. Meier said several market forces are driving interest in those systems, including rising energy costs, infrastructure constraints and concerns about grid reliability. Founded in 2010, Unison said it has developed more than 30 microgrids serving customers across the Northeast, Southwest and Midwest, billing clients monthly based on energy usage. Unison currently has no active projects in Connecticut, Meier said, but is interested in pursuing projects here. Industry analysts project significant growth for microgrids, driven by investment in grid resilience and demand for distributed energy resources. According to Grand View Research, the U.S. microgrid market was valued at roughly $14.8 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach about $39.4 billion by 2030. Unison declined to disclose revenue or detailed financial metrics, citing its status as a privately held company. The firm employs 14 people at its Greenwich headquarters and another 28 nationwide. It is backed by Tiger Infrastructure Partners, a New York-based private equity firm focused on middle-market infrastructure investments.

Energy background

Meier brings nearly two decades of experience in distributed energy and energy-as-a-service businesses. Before joining Unison, she was chief revenue officer at Convergent Energy and Power from July 2022 to January 2026, after serving as chief strategy officer. She said Convergent’s bookings with commercial and industrial customers grew substantially during her tenure. Previously, Meier was chief operating officer at Mirah, a health care technology company, from 2020 to 2021. She also held senior management positions at Enel X, formerly EnerNOC, an energy services and demand-response company, from 2013 to 2020. Earlier in her career, she worked as a project manager at Southern California Edison and as an energy-focused business analyst at McKinsey & Co.

Future growth drivers

Looking to Unison’s future, Meier said data centers could represent a major growth segment. Their rapid expansion and large electricity requirements are straining grid capacity in some regions. “Their biggest issue is not the price of power, it’s access to power,” she said. “We can sign a long-term contract and provide them that power in a much shorter timeframe.” Microgrids can often be deployed more quickly than traditional grid upgrades, which in certain markets may take years to complete, she said. While data centers may not represent the majority of Unison’s customers, they frequently require larger systems. “Everyone’s sort of waiting and seeing how big this data center boom ends up being,” she said. “No one really knows, but we’re certainly seeing a lot of interest and a lot of really fast-moving organizations that are trying to get that power lineup so that they can start building.” The company is also working on partnerships intended to support future growth, though details were not disclosed. “We have some really interesting things coming down the pike,” Meier said. Electricity prices — which vary widely by region — may also help drive demand for localized generation, Meier said. “Power in Oklahoma is a third the price of power in Massachusetts, so obviously there’s going to be a difference in how much you’re going to save,” she said. The financial benefits of a microgrid project depend on factors including location, system design and fuel choice. Customers may opt for natural gas or biogas, each with different cost implications. “It’s really about figuring out where the priorities are of a given customer and helping them meet those,” she said.